Page 23 - FSU Prospectus 2023 4

Children are encouraged to read both in and out of school and books are taken
home to foster a reading partnership between home and school. Writing skills
are developed through purposeful writing for different audience. We are
extremely fortunate to have a well-resourced modern library which is
available to all children in school.

Mathematics
Mathematical skills and knowledge are an extremely important part of life.
We aim to make Mathematics as enjoyable and as interesting a subject as
possible.

We currently follow the National Curriculum which focuses on children being
able to apply their skills through Number, Shape, Space and Measure and Data
Handling in daily mathematics lessons. During these lessons’ children have the
opportunity to practice their mental strategies as well as working in small
groups, individually or as a class on activities and exercises to develop their
mathematical thinking. There is a real emphasis on children knowing and using
times tables to 12 x 12 by the end of Year 4. Work is carefully planned to
consider children’s individual needs. At times children may be grouped
according to their ability.

Science
Science is a core subject of the National Curriculum and is an important part
of the school teaching programme. We know that to be successful scientists,
children need a stimulating and interesting environment, supported by the
materials and equipment to investigate this environment properly. In response

to this we have invested in the provision of suitable resources so that all areas
of the Science curriculum can be fully covered.
We believe that Science should awaken the curiosity and encourage children
to look at the world around them. A variety of teaching and learning
experiences are used to develop scientific knowledge, ranging from the use of
information books, to designing experiments, to investigating science in the
local environment.

We aim to develop scientific skills such as observation, questioning, making
predictions and forming hypotheses, designing tests and reporting the results.

Art and Design
Our children explore a variety of different artistic skills including drawing
from observation and imagination, painting and printing, collage, and work with
modelling materials, textiles and information technology resources.

Blanford Mere Primary School – Prospectus 2024 - 25 Updated 17.7.2024 22